If in doubt go for a German! Arsenal’s move for Schalke captain Benedikt Howedes makes sense

Arsenal are today reported to be eyeing up a move for yet another German – Schalke captain Benedikt Howedes.

The Gunners are said to be looking for a centre-back and a defensive midfielder, but ideally Arsene Wenger would like to buy one player who can fill both roles and thinks he might have found his man in the German World Cup winner. So the story goes.

Howedes would certainly be an excellent addition to the Arsenal squad. The 26-year-old would bring to the club a wealth of playing experience at the top level and given that he is the current Schalke captain he would also bring essential leadership qualities with him as well.

The player is under contract with Schalke until 2017 having just signed a new deal with the Bundesliga side last season so it’s likely that Arsenal will need to stump up a decent amount of cash to land him. That being said, he’s unlikely to cost the £20m it would take to sign Sami Khedira nor the £30m+ Sporting Lisbon want for William Carvalho and his wages would be considerable cheaper as well.

Howedes can play centre-back, full-back and as a holding midfielder so would give Wenger plenty of options and even though he primarily plays as a centre-back, he would have no problems being utilised in those other positions.

Trying to tempt players away from their home leagues can sometimes be a bit of a risk but given the German contingent already at Arsenal, the club becomes an even more attractive option as players realise that they will not be moving to a new club, league and country where they will know no-one and could become isolated, but rather moving to a club where they will find an abundance of familiar faces.

The latest reports in the press today claim that Wenger is still considering moving for Khedira or Carvalho while Howedes is ‘on the list.’ Who Wenger ends up picking really is anyone’s guess at the minute.